BBC America is showing The Prisoner on Friday nights. I'm watching last night's right now, thanks to the DVR. It's "The General." Not one of the best episodes, but still not bad. Last week was one of the best: "Schizoid Man." But they're all good, except the one where McGoohan was away filming Ice Station Zebra and they had some other actor play Number 6. That was lame.
Once upon a time I was really into this show. It's surreal, paranoid, misanthropic and deeply cynical. What's not to love? It's not my favorite show anymore (maybe I'm just not cynical enough these days) but I still have a great fondness for it. I still think it has the best opening credits sequence of any TV show ever. I'm grateful to BBC America for giving me the chance to watch these episodes again.
5 Comments
there's an episode with someone other than mcgoohan as number 6? man, i have no memory of that, and i thought i'd seen them all.
i totally concur about that opening sequence. it's totally brilliant filmmaking... the most efficient storytelling sequence i think i've ever seen.
i read something recently completely dissing the prisoner.. on a blog somewhere maybe? did you see that?
We Netflixed The Prisoner a few weeks ago and I'd forgotten how deeply weird it is. It's no surprise that Patrick McGoohan is a big libertarian and moved to Florida... But the show is a work of paranoid genius. I sort of think that certain private universities we could mention are rather like the Village. Except with Segways instead of those giant white balls.
The one with another guy playing Number 6 is called "Do Not Forsake Me." I found a good description of it on this episode guide: http://www.the-prisoner-6.freeserve.co.uk/episode_thirteen.htm
They say that the series was intended to continue but was cancelled. "Once Upon a Time" had been filmed much earlier, and then "Fallout" was done in a hurry to wrap up the series. I didn't know that but it makes a whole lot of sense. I've always thought that "Once Upon a Time" was one of the strongest episodes and "Fallout" was one of the weakest. When watching the whole series, I sometimes would skip "Fallout" and treat "Once Upon a Time" as the final episode.
I haven't read anything dissing the Prisoner. Good thing too, because I would have to smite them :)
Just wanted to add that I've heard McGoohan isn't a very nice person, which doesn't surprise me considering the misanthropic tone of the show, and doesn't make me enjoy the show any less. I hadn't heard that he was a libertarian but this also doesn't surprise me.
ok, i feel very certain that i have never seen that episode. clearly, i am going to have to watch the whole series again, in order :)
i had read that mcgoohan was onen of those difficult creative-genius types who is incredibly hard to work with and a perfectionist, making everyone else on the set misreable. however, the note in that episode synopsis about his aversion to physical contact was new to me, but it does explain the sort of sexless nature of the prisoner.