The Prisoner: Episode by Episode
07-20-2017
, 10:28 PM
07-21-2017
, 05:05 PM
07-26-2017
, 09:12 PM
08-05-2017
, 11:18 PM
Ep. 11: It's Your Funeral
The prisoners have learned to exploit The Village's surveillance network by simply "jamming" the system with constant chatter about non-existent plots against the wardens, causing the wardens to entirely disregard No. 6 when he uncovers a very real plot to assassinate the retiring No. 2. As I understand it, modern terror groups also rely on false chatter over the internet to help mask their true operations, another sign of how far ahead of its time the show was.
As it turns out, both the plot and the plot's discovery were engineered by the new No. 2, the first indication we have of real infighting among the people running The Village. After the plot is foiled, it's suggested that the No. 2 may face a similar threat upon his retirement; as we've seen before, the bureaucrats running the prison are disposable pawns.
The old No. 2 manages to escape the island, giving us a rare bit of hope that 6 just might be able to get his freedom back.
By far the best part of this episode is the new No. 2's super groovy smoking jacket that he is apparently allowed to wear at the office.
The prisoners have learned to exploit The Village's surveillance network by simply "jamming" the system with constant chatter about non-existent plots against the wardens, causing the wardens to entirely disregard No. 6 when he uncovers a very real plot to assassinate the retiring No. 2. As I understand it, modern terror groups also rely on false chatter over the internet to help mask their true operations, another sign of how far ahead of its time the show was.
As it turns out, both the plot and the plot's discovery were engineered by the new No. 2, the first indication we have of real infighting among the people running The Village. After the plot is foiled, it's suggested that the No. 2 may face a similar threat upon his retirement; as we've seen before, the bureaucrats running the prison are disposable pawns.
The old No. 2 manages to escape the island, giving us a rare bit of hope that 6 just might be able to get his freedom back.
By far the best part of this episode is the new No. 2's super groovy smoking jacket that he is apparently allowed to wear at the office.
08-07-2017
, 10:57 PM
08-16-2017
, 06:45 PM
Ep. 12: A Change of Mind
6's decidedly anti-social habits lead to him being declared "unmutual" by his fellow villagers. After several attempts to make him reform, the villages send 6 to a rehab clinic where he gets a complimentary frontal lobotomy and a mega-hottie nurse to make him his daily tea. 6 discovers that his lobotomy was merely a sham designed to trick him into compliance, an illusion assisted by drugs placed in his tea. In most episodes, 6's fellow prisoners are fairly cheerful and pleasant. In this one, they've become a much more malevolent force that acts as almost a direct extension of the wardens.
Later, 6 teaches us all how to make a proper British cup of tea while also giving his nurse the old drug swtcheroo (The Prisoner is the most tea-drinkin'est show I've ever watched!), and once again we see No. 6 turn the tables on one of No. 2's schemes.
This was not one of the more remarkable episodes; it largely seems to repeat themes that were handled more effectively in Eps. 3 and 10.
There's a scene where re-educated prisoners are made to give a public confession of their faults in front of their fellow villagers. This reminds me very much of a similar practice that I've read about in North Korea, and I suspect McGoohan was inspired by similar practices in Maoist China.
6's decidedly anti-social habits lead to him being declared "unmutual" by his fellow villagers. After several attempts to make him reform, the villages send 6 to a rehab clinic where he gets a complimentary frontal lobotomy and a mega-hottie nurse to make him his daily tea. 6 discovers that his lobotomy was merely a sham designed to trick him into compliance, an illusion assisted by drugs placed in his tea. In most episodes, 6's fellow prisoners are fairly cheerful and pleasant. In this one, they've become a much more malevolent force that acts as almost a direct extension of the wardens.
Later, 6 teaches us all how to make a proper British cup of tea while also giving his nurse the old drug swtcheroo (The Prisoner is the most tea-drinkin'est show I've ever watched!), and once again we see No. 6 turn the tables on one of No. 2's schemes.
This was not one of the more remarkable episodes; it largely seems to repeat themes that were handled more effectively in Eps. 3 and 10.
There's a scene where re-educated prisoners are made to give a public confession of their faults in front of their fellow villagers. This reminds me very much of a similar practice that I've read about in North Korea, and I suspect McGoohan was inspired by similar practices in Maoist China.
08-17-2017
, 03:33 PM
08-18-2017
, 05:06 PM
08-18-2017
, 05:17 PM
08-18-2017
, 06:26 PM
08-19-2017
, 10:25 PM
Ep. 13: Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling
After the last few mildly disappointing installments, I was quite pleased with this atypical episodes which takes place almost entirely back in London and barely has Patrick McGoohan in it at all. At the time, McGoohan was busy filming a movie, and this episode was designed to be a workaound for his absence.
6 wakes up back in his London apartment, and is reunited with his car and his fiancee (who, curiously, has never been mentioned until now). The bad news is that he's been mindswapped into a different body. 6 travels to Austria to find the reclusive Dr. Seltzman who developed the mindswap procedure, but in the process also leads No. 2 to Seltzman's location.
The episode leaves us with a couple of unanswered questions. It seems that, before he was kidnapped, 6 knew of Dr. Seltzman and his secret location, but had deliberately kept this information hidden from his employer. How and why 6 and Seltzman knew each other is left unexplained; presumably one of 6's missions involved tracking down the scientist. Why didn't 6 share this information with his employer? Could this be the reason No. 6 resigned? Perhaps he recognized the dangerous potential of this technology and refused to allow his government to get their hands on it.
After the last few mildly disappointing installments, I was quite pleased with this atypical episodes which takes place almost entirely back in London and barely has Patrick McGoohan in it at all. At the time, McGoohan was busy filming a movie, and this episode was designed to be a workaound for his absence.
6 wakes up back in his London apartment, and is reunited with his car and his fiancee (who, curiously, has never been mentioned until now). The bad news is that he's been mindswapped into a different body. 6 travels to Austria to find the reclusive Dr. Seltzman who developed the mindswap procedure, but in the process also leads No. 2 to Seltzman's location.
The episode leaves us with a couple of unanswered questions. It seems that, before he was kidnapped, 6 knew of Dr. Seltzman and his secret location, but had deliberately kept this information hidden from his employer. How and why 6 and Seltzman knew each other is left unexplained; presumably one of 6's missions involved tracking down the scientist. Why didn't 6 share this information with his employer? Could this be the reason No. 6 resigned? Perhaps he recognized the dangerous potential of this technology and refused to allow his government to get their hands on it.
Last edited by Cranberry Tea; 08-19-2017 at 10:32 PM.
08-28-2017
, 10:24 PM
Ep. 14: Living in Harmony
In a fun surprise twist, the world of The Prisoner is reimagined as a western. It's a fun premise at first, but the generic Wild West sets become dull quickly and I found myself really missing the iconic style of The Village. It doesn't help that the outdoor shots are very clearly English countryside and not the American West. This was written as a filler episode, and unfortunately, it feels like one.
No. 6 is tempted with a gun, which he refuses multiple times. 6 has not been shy about using fisticuffs in this series, but lethal force has never been something he's resorted to. Eventually compelled to shoot down his enemy, the town ruffian, 6 finds that violence ultimately leads to his own ruin. This episode was not aired in the US, as 6's refusal to pick up a gun was interpreted as an anti-war, anti-draft message. It would seem that this show can be subversive without even trying.
Also, this may be the only episode where no one drinks any tea.
In a fun surprise twist, the world of The Prisoner is reimagined as a western. It's a fun premise at first, but the generic Wild West sets become dull quickly and I found myself really missing the iconic style of The Village. It doesn't help that the outdoor shots are very clearly English countryside and not the American West. This was written as a filler episode, and unfortunately, it feels like one.
No. 6 is tempted with a gun, which he refuses multiple times. 6 has not been shy about using fisticuffs in this series, but lethal force has never been something he's resorted to. Eventually compelled to shoot down his enemy, the town ruffian, 6 finds that violence ultimately leads to his own ruin. This episode was not aired in the US, as 6's refusal to pick up a gun was interpreted as an anti-war, anti-draft message. It would seem that this show can be subversive without even trying.
Also, this may be the only episode where no one drinks any tea.
09-03-2017
, 08:04 PM
Ep. 15: The Girl Who Was Death
Another terrible filler episode, easily the worst installment of the series. The script was originally intended to be a Danger Man episode, but it was shoehorned into The Prisoner to pad out the series. No. 6 chases after a lady assassin, who tries to kill him using a number of elaborate and very British methods: exploding cricket ball, poisoned stout, etc. This was clearly intended to be a zany send-up of the secret agent genre, but most of the humor falls flat and feels profoundly out of place.
One interesting note: at the end we see that there are children living in the village, which is pretty terrifying when you think about it.
Another terrible filler episode, easily the worst installment of the series. The script was originally intended to be a Danger Man episode, but it was shoehorned into The Prisoner to pad out the series. No. 6 chases after a lady assassin, who tries to kill him using a number of elaborate and very British methods: exploding cricket ball, poisoned stout, etc. This was clearly intended to be a zany send-up of the secret agent genre, but most of the humor falls flat and feels profoundly out of place.
One interesting note: at the end we see that there are children living in the village, which is pretty terrifying when you think about it.
09-30-2017
, 11:59 PM
Ep 16: Once Upon a Time
We've reached the beginning of the end for The Prisoner. If you've made it this far, you presumably have a taste for the show's baffling and inscrutable style and you'll appreciate this extremely bizarre episode. If you've been following the show hoping for answers to all the puzzles of The Village, I have to say you, like many other viewers, will probably be irritated by the ending. As I've said before, this is a show best viewed as a kind of extended metaphor.
An old No. 2 (Leo McKern) is brought back and given one last shot at breaking 6. Through some groovy mind ray 6 is regressed to a child-like state and re-educated in stages from childhood to schooling to adulthood, with No. 2 as a kind of stern fatherly authority figure. The whole thing plays out like a surreal Samuel Becket play and it probably would have been a trainwreck were it not for McGoohan and McKern both committing to the absurdist tone and delivering solid performances.
The tables turn, 6 manages to mentally dominate 2 and becomes a sinister, menacing interrogator. 2 dies, and it seems that No. 6 is now ready to assume the role of No. 2. Now seemingly in charge, 6 asks to see No. 1, and the show ends, setting us up for an epic reveal in the final episode.
We've reached the beginning of the end for The Prisoner. If you've made it this far, you presumably have a taste for the show's baffling and inscrutable style and you'll appreciate this extremely bizarre episode. If you've been following the show hoping for answers to all the puzzles of The Village, I have to say you, like many other viewers, will probably be irritated by the ending. As I've said before, this is a show best viewed as a kind of extended metaphor.
An old No. 2 (Leo McKern) is brought back and given one last shot at breaking 6. Through some groovy mind ray 6 is regressed to a child-like state and re-educated in stages from childhood to schooling to adulthood, with No. 2 as a kind of stern fatherly authority figure. The whole thing plays out like a surreal Samuel Becket play and it probably would have been a trainwreck were it not for McGoohan and McKern both committing to the absurdist tone and delivering solid performances.
The tables turn, 6 manages to mentally dominate 2 and becomes a sinister, menacing interrogator. 2 dies, and it seems that No. 6 is now ready to assume the role of No. 2. Now seemingly in charge, 6 asks to see No. 1, and the show ends, setting us up for an epic reveal in the final episode.
10-01-2017
, 08:21 PM
10-02-2017
, 10:46 PM
Ep. 17: Fall Out
*** WARNING: EPIC SPOILERS ***
Many viewers were frustrated and even angry with The Prisoner's grand finale. It's a bizarre manic spectacle that almost seems deliberately indecipherable, as if McGoohan was just ****ing with us all along. A literal interpretation of what goes on is quite impossible.
After defeating No. 2, No. 6 is installed upon a throne to become the new leader of The Village. As part of his inauguration, two characters who represent unstable, revolutionary threats to the community. The first, No. 48, is a sort of hippie. The second is the resuscitated No. 2. We learn that 2 was abducted and brought to The Village just like 6. A whole lot of WTFedness happens, and then at last we finally get to meet No. 1.
And when unmasked, No. 1 turns out to be... 6 himself! There's a fight, Nos. 48, 6, 2, and (surprisingly) the butler shoot their way out in a machinegun battle hilariously set to the tune of “All You Need is Love”, a rocket takes off for some reason, and the four escape in a truck to London. Impossible! The show has already established that The Village is on a remote island! Again, no literal interpretation of the show will make any sense.
I don't think there's any better way to resolve The Prisoner's riddle other than to show that we ourselves are our own prison wardens. All the norms and laws of modern society are ultimately established and enforced by regular slobs like you and I, not some shadowy wizard pulling all the levers. As McGoohan puts it:
McGoohan: The greatest enemy that we have...No. 1 was depicted as an evil, governing force in this Village. So, who is this No. 1? We just see the No. 2's, the sidekicks. Now this overriding, evil force is at its most powerful within ourselves and we have constantly to fight it, I think, and that is why I made No. 1 an image of No. 6. His other half, his alter ego.
An important thing that's very easy to miss is the door to 6's apartment. It opens and closes automatically, and makes a sound just like the doors in The Village. It's a sinister hint that we never truly leave The Village. McGoohan has stated in interviews that he wanted the show to be a kind of cycle that picks up right where it ends, with no real freedom for No. 6.
*** WARNING: EPIC SPOILERS ***
Many viewers were frustrated and even angry with The Prisoner's grand finale. It's a bizarre manic spectacle that almost seems deliberately indecipherable, as if McGoohan was just ****ing with us all along. A literal interpretation of what goes on is quite impossible.
After defeating No. 2, No. 6 is installed upon a throne to become the new leader of The Village. As part of his inauguration, two characters who represent unstable, revolutionary threats to the community. The first, No. 48, is a sort of hippie. The second is the resuscitated No. 2. We learn that 2 was abducted and brought to The Village just like 6. A whole lot of WTFedness happens, and then at last we finally get to meet No. 1.
And when unmasked, No. 1 turns out to be... 6 himself! There's a fight, Nos. 48, 6, 2, and (surprisingly) the butler shoot their way out in a machinegun battle hilariously set to the tune of “All You Need is Love”, a rocket takes off for some reason, and the four escape in a truck to London. Impossible! The show has already established that The Village is on a remote island! Again, no literal interpretation of the show will make any sense.
I don't think there's any better way to resolve The Prisoner's riddle other than to show that we ourselves are our own prison wardens. All the norms and laws of modern society are ultimately established and enforced by regular slobs like you and I, not some shadowy wizard pulling all the levers. As McGoohan puts it:
McGoohan: The greatest enemy that we have...No. 1 was depicted as an evil, governing force in this Village. So, who is this No. 1? We just see the No. 2's, the sidekicks. Now this overriding, evil force is at its most powerful within ourselves and we have constantly to fight it, I think, and that is why I made No. 1 an image of No. 6. His other half, his alter ego.
An important thing that's very easy to miss is the door to 6's apartment. It opens and closes automatically, and makes a sound just like the doors in The Village. It's a sinister hint that we never truly leave The Village. McGoohan has stated in interviews that he wanted the show to be a kind of cycle that picks up right where it ends, with no real freedom for No. 6.
10-03-2017
, 04:24 PM
10-03-2017
, 06:44 PM