The Prisoner Review: Wrap-Up

So… The Prisoner.

That was quite a viewing experience, there.

I went into this show pretty damn blind. I mean, I was aware of some vague elements of the series – it was set in the 60s, pretty close to spy fiction, known for its aura of mystery, and was set in a location from which escape was virtually impossible. It even gave off a very, very strong 60s tone just from the previews I’ve seen. So I figured that I was rather well set to take on one of the most idiosyncratic shows of all time.

Well, no… but also, thankfully, yes!

The main theme of The Prisoner was how it characterized the balance between government and the rights of the individual, and why we need to be astute to any sort of encroachments on one another. After all, why do governments enact autocratic measures? They argue that it is for the good of the citizens, for the grand society. And why do people rebel? These rebels argue that the government is abusing its power and that their justifications hold no water given the adverse impact it has on the rights and freedoms. This is a debate that will never go away in society – it’s been in existence since John Locke and Thomas Hobbes – and opinions for one side or the other will be found on either side of the political spectrum.

The Prisoner approached this by developing the facade of spy fiction, all but deconstructing every trope in the genre, and molding from it a work chock full of allegory. It really does a damn fine job at capturing the zeitgeist of the 1960s – the decade of what felt like a grand societal upheaval, where old orders and societal thought was being overturned, or at least questioned, as the decade progressed further and further. This show debut at the perfect time – a time of grand societal questioning, a time when Cold War tensions led to paranoia on both sides of the Iron Curtain (particularly a decade earlier). The appeal is broad and surely captivating. Hell, it still retains relevance today in the dying weeks of the 2010s – this can be either a sobering reminder of the cyclical and seemingly stagnant nature of politics, or if you choose to be an optimist, an endearing idea on how we can look to the past to produce the future we desire.

Naturally, it’s not enough to have attitudes that are endearing yet contemporary – a successful show will also be well-written and well-produced. And here, my friends, is where The Prisoner managed to secure itself as a cult hit.

The star of the show, The Prisoner himself, is one of the most iconic TV heroes for a damn good reason. Patrick McGoohan did a fine job of selling him as an effective antiheroic figure. He’s gruff, brash, somewhat cold, and one can interpret his attitudes as individualistic to a fault, although given the circumstances of his imprisonment, one could understand his rationale. But he has a strong moral compass, the few times he bends his principles are very reluctant, and he does have a soft interior that he lets out on rare occasions. His arc drives him from a selfish desire to leave the Village to a more grand desire of deconstruction and competition, in turn humanizing the man even further.

He’s a great vehicle for the audience to represent their frustrations, and accordingly, he’s also great to watch try and break down the Village before they break him down. One can read the end of the series, accordingly, as something of a pyrrhic victory… if he even got one at the end of it all. Six represents the free spirit, the individual who finds himself driven to something greater despite his own selfish desires, and even then, the reveal at the end manages to deconstruct that aspect of the episode… if it happened.

Even more brilliant is the choice of an antagonist… more specifically, making it an ever-changing rotation of characters. Making Two a rotating position was a brilliant dramatic maneuver – it cemented the whole philosophy of never trusting anybody and anything in The Village. They could just as easily be replaced by a shadowy inner circle, all interchangeable, out for their own ends. Politically, it symbolizes the cynical argument that politicians, no matter what their philosophy or persona, are all inherently corrupt and untrustworthy.  It’s quite a radical idea, but no matter how much you agree, it reminds us to keep a close eye on our elected officials – an idea particularly relevant in the dying days of the 2010s with more bombastic and controversial figures in higher political office.

On that note, I do have to agree with the consensus putting Leo McKern as my favorite Number Two. I mean it – his bombast raises the character to prime supervillain levels, provides the perfect contrast to McGoohan’s suave yet aloof Number Six. Yet it’s also subversive, as he’s quite an affable character… yet his anger is frightening, and the last episode provides hints at a more terrifying and slimy nature to the character, particularly in the show’s final moments. McKern’s character is aided by the actor channeling resentment – McGoohan was a nightmare on set – and his acting is probably the best in the entire series. Second place goes to Patrick Cargill, if only for his odd ubiquity in being the most downright evil and sadistic Number Two.

The Village itself also felt well-fleshed out. I mean it, even though most of the side characters were one-offs – which does add to the creepy aura of the region in retrospect – the Village itself felt like the eccentric prison of happiness, a charming place that made escape baffling. It works as a societal representation of Panem et Circrendi – keep the masses satisfied enough, they won’t question the government. Six does manage to challenge even this at times, though, but that only serves to highlight the tragic nature of autocratic governments. It’s a warning to us – keep constant vigilance, pay attention, and don’t fall victim to mere comforts. Demand more.

It’s just a thematically brilliant series, The Prisoner. So rich in the themes it explores, so complex in using characters and setting to convey such contemporary yet still relevant topics. Issues of political manipulation, electoral corruption, torture, educational standardization and reform, societal conformation, paranoia, surveillance states, all of it… this show was very 60s, but the more that things change, the more they stay the same, am I right?

Not bad, given that McGoohan utterly snapped during the production of the series, went mad, and alienated everybody and the roast beast. And by everybody, I mean he had to go into hiding after the finale due to said episode’s controversial everything. By the end, the show itself was downright insane.

What has changed is the whole narrative structure. Most television shows nowadays have a somewhat more linear continuity – episodes flow into one another explicitly, or at least, have some level of impact on one another. The Prisoner falls into the latter category, certainly, but the order of episodes is so peculiar that it is still up for debate. Not a bad thing – if this show’s idea was to explore debate amongst the fans to every aspect of this series, this is but another example. Still, I used the Six of One ranking, which I think is a damn fine order. That said, if I had to put them all in a narrative ranking, here’s where it would be. This can change at any time, and the Six of One arrangement isn’t bad by any strain of the imagination. This is just what I can ascertain from what I’ve seen from The Prisoner.

1. Arrival: No duh. Pilot episode. Sets up the entire series and character dynamics.
2. Dance of the Dead: A close tie between this and “Free for All” for the second one. This gets the edge because the ending serves as an effective salvo – to shatter Six’s hopes of escape. There’s also a good chance of debate as to what to do with this newcomer.
3. Free for All: Six now tries to work through the system to try and get his answer, an interesting rebound after “Dance of the Dead”. That said, the idea of democracy itself being a sham is just as much of a shock to the system for Six when compared to the party gone wrong at “Dance of the Dead”, if not more.
4. The Chimes of Big Ben: Six comes so close to escape, only to have it utterly fall apart in his hands.
5. Checkmate: A balance of exploring Village culture on a more basic level with an escape plot. It’s definitely an interesting way to segue from the “escape” portion of the series to the “destruction” portion.
6. The General: One of two Colin Gordon episodes, this gets the edge more because of the points in A, B, and C. It is one of the show’s more underrated episodes in my opinion, as well, so I’d recommend watching it as soon as possible.
7. The Schizoid Man: More based on the enjoyment factor, as the tropes here are less likely to come off as “tried and true” to new viewers. And there’s an offhand reference to a “general”, make of that what you will.
8. A, B, and C: Gordon gets sent back for one more chance. This could go directly after “The General”, but given that McKern got many episodes between his stints as Number Two… make of that what you will. Regardless, the episode ends with him getting the Phone Call of Doom.
9. Many Happy Returns: This works as a good “line” for the series, so to speak. Six realizes that as long as the Village exists, his odds of escape are not remote so much as they are nill. From this point on, we go from “escape” to “destruction”.
10. It’s Your Funeral: With his desire to work through The Village to destroy it from the inside in mind, Six actually saves a Two from certain death! Playing the long game. Just worth noting, this episode, plus the next two, are some of the show’s weaker outings.
11. A Change of Mind: Six establishes a more solid streak of victories, giving the Powers That Be more rope to hang themselves with.
12. Do Not Forsake Me, Oh My Darling: Probably the only episode I would skip, due to its rather poor quality (in my opinion) and rather “boring” nature. Still, Six decides to play the games being set up by The Village for the first time, as we’ll see more of later on.
13. Living in Harmony: The Prisoner goes Western. One of the bleaker and more tragic endings in the entire series. A haunting sign of things to come?
14. The Girl Who Was Death: The show’s most lighthearted episode, with a genuinely adorable (if still mysterious and mildly haunting) ending. A good idea, given what is to come next.
15. Hammer into Anvil: This is probably the most idiosyncratic part of this ranking. Six finally gets enough rope to hang one of the most odious Number Twos with. He moves from “passive threat” to “active threat” with this episode, necessitating drastic measures – I.E., Degree Absolute.
16. Once Upon A Time: Flows directly into the finale, and serves as the last measure for the Village. Six, in turn, utterly shatters the Village power structure once and for all, with one of the best character dynamics this show ever delivers.
17. Fall Out: HOLY MACARONI. More specifically, it’s the series finale. Everything goes to hell. What else would it be?

If you have any issues or disagreements with my ranking, feel free to comment. After all, the free exchange of ideas is what this show is defending, right?

The Prisoner was probably the weirdest of the shows that I’ve reviewed. As a novice to the series, I don’t know if I necessarily did the best job at taking apart The Prisoner. This was just a collection of thoughts based on a series I wanted to watch for the purposes of a cartoon review, in retrospect. And there are more dedicated diehard Prisoner fans out there that have explored every nook and cranny of this series – check them out, they are absolutely brilliant from what I’ve seen. This was based on my first time watching, as well as my reactions to what I saw.

Either way, this was a very enjoyable series to watch and review – it more than holds up more than fifty years after its debut. The Prisoner gets a quite enthusiastic recommendation from me – one of the most provocative, relevant, haunting, and just plain effective series that I have ever viewed. Even the dated elements have a charm to them that never adversely affects the viewing experience. Just be prepared – the show is bound to throw you for many, many, many loops.

Thumbs up, McGoohan – you might have gone off the rails during production, but you helped make something truly unforgettable. And for those of you that have read these reviews as well as others that I’ve posted on this blog, I can only extend a very hearty thanks.